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Pennsylvania’s top election official announced this week that the Republican U.S. Senate primary race is in for a recount.
“The recount will be conducted transparently as dictated by law,” acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday. “The affected candidates or their attorney representatives are entitled to be present and observe the proceedings.”
The margin between GOP candidates Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick is enough to trigger an automatic statewide recount, with less than 0.5 percent of the vote separating them as of Thursday afternoon.
Both candidates have expressed confidence in the race and facing Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, in November.
While Oz maintains a narrow lead, McCormick has filed a lawsuit to ensure that undated and incorrectly dated mail ballots still returned by 8 p.m. on Election Day count toward final totals. Earlier this week, the Department of State issued guidance to counties, telling them to segregate and tabulate the undated ballots separately.
Here’s what to know about recounts and what comes next:
Who carries out a recount?
Counties carry out the recount process.
Local election officials must recount all ballots with a different method than the initial tabulation, or they can tabulate by hand.
When does the recount start?
Chapman said she plans to issue the formal declaration of a recount by 5 p.m. on Thursday. Counties could start the process as soon as Friday.
The law requires that counties begin the recount no later than June 1.
How long does a recount take?
Counties must finish the recount by noon on June 7, with final results due to the Department of State by noon on June 8.
How much will a recount cost?
The Department of State estimates that the recount will cost taxpayers more than $1 million.
Is a recount required?
Pennsylvania law requires an automatic statewide recount if 0.5 percent or less of the vote separates the leading two candidates.
The candidate with the second-highest number of votes could waive the recount requirement, but McCormick has not.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John Micek for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and Twitter.
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Mark Kelly delivers profane assessment of 'nuts' US gun policy following horrific mass shooting in Texas
May 26, 2022
The United States suffered yet another horrific mass shooting on Tuesday, May 24, when an 18-year-old gunman attacked Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas — killing at least 19 children along with two adults, one of whom was 4th Grade teacher Eva Mireles. And Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona expressed his frustration the following day when he told reporters it was “fucking nuts” that the shooter had easy access to firearms.
“It’s fucking nuts to do nothing about this," Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly tells reporters.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 25, 2022
The gunman, identified as Salvador Ramos by law enforcement, was also killed. Ramos’ motivation for the attack remains unclear.
The attack in Uvalde, which is about 80 miles west of San Antonio in Southern Texas, came less than two weeks after a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, where a gunman attacked a supermarket in a heavily Black section of the city and killed ten people. According to law enforcement, the suspect in that attack was a white nationalist who targeted his victims simply because they were Black.
\u201cGabby and I are heartbroken for the Texas families who just had their lives forever devastated by gun violence. I know how helpless a person can feel when their family is impacted in this way. I know that every parent whose kid came home from school today is hugging them tighter.\u201d— Senator Mark Kelly (@Senator Mark Kelly) 1653432424
Kelly’s frustration over all the mass shootings in the U.S. was obvious on May 25, when he told reporters, “It’s fucking nuts to do nothing about this.”
Kelly has first-hand experience with gun violence. He is married to fellow Democrat and former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head during a mass shooting outside a grocery store in Tucson, Arizona on January 8, 2011. Giffords suffered major injuries but survived, while six others were killed. The shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, pled guilty to 19 counts and is presently serving a life sentence in federal prison.
Kelly is up for reelection in 2022, and Arizona’s GOP and Democratic U.S. Senate primaries are set for August 2. Once a deep red state, Arizona now has two Democratic U.S. senators: Kelly and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who isn’t up for reelection until 2024.
On May 24, Kelly posted a Twitter thread in response to the Uvalde shooting. The Arizona senator tweeted:
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Kentucky high school teacher under investigation for referring to student as a 'monkey'
May 26, 2022
A Kentucky high school is investigating alleged racial slurs made by one of its teachers, WLKY reports.
WLKY reviewed a video featuring the teacher and confirmed that the racial slurs were said, including one where the teacher used the word "monkey" when referring to a student.
"Louisville Male High School strives to be a welcoming place where students and staff respect each other and can confront differences in a respectful manner," the school's principal, Dr. William Foster, said in a statement. "When incidents happen that might contradict those values, I want to make sure I communicate with you so you have the latest information."
"It came to our attention that a video has surfaced involving a teacher at our school. Its contents include the teacher using inappropriate and racially insensitive language," Foster continued. "We are taking this matter seriously. I want to assure you that we are reviewing this matter, and following JCPS policies and procedures in that process."
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